Insomniac Games releases Marvel’s Wolverine Coming exclusively to PS5 on September 15th, the early reviews are stronger than any of the studio’s other superhero games. The range of ratings ranges from a maximum of ten to reviews where reviewers directly advise not to buy the game at launch. The press did not have a consensus on whether Insomniac managed to repeat the success of Spider-Man.
The studio abandoned the open world in favor of a linear structure with a clear setting. The combat system is built around extremely brutal melee combat, and the game has received an adult rating. Critics estimate the duration of the campaign to be approximately 13–15 hours, with a complete completion of up to twenty.
The average score on OpenCritic was 79 out of 10075% of critics recommend the game. On Metacritic the score is slightly lower – 78 out of 100. For comparison, the first Marvel’s Spider-Man holds 87 points, and Spider-Man 2 holds 90.
Positive reviewers praise the pacing, animation, and acting. Critics in the opposite camp have complained about the monotony of the combat, the cautious level design, and the feeling that Spider-Man’s structure has been mechanically pulled onto another hero. Several publications specifically noted technical flaws and control problems in platform segments.
Below is a selection of 10 reviews from leading publications:
Hardcore Gamer – 5/5
Marvel’s Wolverine is an absolute triumph in almost every category, doing for the character what Marvel’s Spider-Man did for Spider-Man. The story is exceptional for its deep dive into Logan’s complex character, and the use of allies, villains, and an overarching plot delivers the best performance of Wolverine since Hugh Jackman first took on the character.
Game Informer – 8.5/10
Insomniac’s new action opus is visually and aurally stunning, and plays like clockwork. Whether you’re a fan of the cunning mutant or simply gravitate towards intense, tightly animated combat like that found in God of War or Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Wolverine is an intense and relentless ride. The game may not hit many notes, but, like Logan himself, it hits the ones that really matter.
Wccftech – 8.5/10
Marvel’s Wolverine is a very different game compared to Insomniac’s Spider-Man adaptations, but it shows that the developer truly understands the hero. The combat didn’t grab me right away, and I wish some of the maps were larger, but in the end I really felt like the perfect killing machine that Wolverine should be. At the same time, the plot kept me glued to the screen from beginning to end.
Push Square – 8/10
Marvel’s Wolverine ends Insomniac’s string of open worlds for a deliberately linear superhuman title that revels in its own bloody, intense combat. The campaign built around it is sometimes unnecessarily restrictive, and the story is rather boring, but as the mission takes you from one encounter to the next, it lets the bloodshed do the talking.
With superb art, stunning performances and good variety of locations, Marvel’s Wolverine sheds its shortcomings for an endlessly enjoyable superhero experience.
GamesRadar – 3/5
Marvel’s Wolverine never turns into a bad experience, just frustrating and full of weird decisions. I enjoyed it for the most part, but I was never blown away or felt like I was getting the game Wolverine deserved. Especially since this is the same studio that literally let Spider-Man take flight on PS5.
The game also feels light for such a blockbuster – you’ll struggle to squeeze in more than twenty hours even with a full playthrough, and replaying missions only further reveals how straightforward many areas are. There are some nice moments and ideas here, but they’re dampened by the drawn-out and monotonous combat, inconsistent gameplay, and jumpy story.
Eurogamer – 3/5
The result, unfortunately, leaves the feeling that our old Wolverine is simply behind the times. If it weren’t for the charm of Logan himself, the bestial warmth that Insomniac draws from its cast and the genuine humanity accessible through it, or the basic fun and rare spectacle of action delivered in measured doses, it could have turned out to be a carnage.
Instead it turned out just fine. Thanks in no small part to the nature of the X-Men universe, the game is still quite enjoyable – these stories are built on deeply sensitive characters and tiresomely topical themes. Yet there’s enough sincerity, character and camp here to keep this old dog alive.
The Guardian – 3/5
Marvel’s Wolverine remains a lovingly crafted, beautifully polished hack that’s sure to please Wolverine fans looking to disembowel as many enemies as possible, looking out for X-Men references and pausing every now and then to have a dose of plot and subtext thrown at them. But despite the full use of claws and a generous array of moves and combos, the combat lacks the bone-crushing weight of the Batman Arkham games or the ballet joy of Spider-Man.
The further you go, the more enemies line up, the more it all feels like a chore. Logan becomes what he always feared – a mercenary force. There’s so much seductive and liberating fury in this game, in its story, its combat mechanics, its wonderfully conflicted protagonist. But the climax always feels out of reach, like an argument in the next room or a war on the news.
VGC – 3/5
Marvel’s Wolverine is okay, but it fails to capture the spirit of the iconic character the way Insomniac did with Spider-Man. This is a game out of its time, full of outdated mission design and combat that shines with spectacle but little else. The best-in-class graphics elevate the overall experience, but this isn’t the benchmark Wolverine game I was hoping for.
IGN – 6/10
Like the adamantium core of its hero, Marvel’s Wolverine is made of sterner stuff – it simply fails to layer anything special on top of the initially enjoyable action, which causes it to fizzle out long before the end. I would like more variety, since combat reveals its cards early, and level design plays for sure more often than not.
This means that the fifteen-hour campaign is largely drawn out by the plot, which, while not revolutionary, remains an enjoyable story with some good character development and a strong portrait of the leader of the X-Men. Marvel’s Wolverine is okay, just a notch or two below Insomniac’s other superhero efforts.
GameSpot – 6/10
Wolverine is difficult to handle. As I have repeatedly noted, there is nothing overtly wrong or bad about it. It delivers an authentic and completely playable Wolverine experience. I don’t regret the time I spent and, moreover, I left with the hope of a sequel that will fulfill its promise. But at the same time, its harmlessness grows from the fact that this is a naked third-person action game, performed without any frills and without real surprises.
At best, it’s a fun but forgettable experience for a few hours. At worst, it shows that being able to make very good superhero games about one character doesn’t mean being able to make them about anyone. Insomniac is an incredibly talented developer, but where it shines is with characters that allow it to flex its well-trained design muscles. Wolverine may be the best at what he does, but what he does has prevented developers Insomniac from being the best at what they do.
Separately, it is worth noting the video reviews. Jeremy Penter from the ACG channel gave the verdict “wait for a sale”, noting the fatigue from the game, which came faster than expected, and the angularity of the controls in the platform sections. Skill Up refused to recommend the game, pointing out that part of the QTE is completed by itself without pressing a single button.
Giant Bomb spoke out harshest of all, with a rating of 2.5 out of 5. According to the publication, the studio took the Spider-Man frame and adjusted it to Logan’s set of abilities instead of building the game from scratch. After the research was removed, the remaining pillars of the studio’s corporate identity could not support the weight of the design.
